COAG Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management

Terms of Reference

COAG Standing Councils are established to:
a) achieve COAG’s strategic themes by pursuing and monitoring priority issues of national significance which require sustained, collaborative effort; and
b) address key areas of shared Commonwealth, State and Territory responsibility and funding.
The Standing Council will pursue the following COAG strategic themes as its major focus areas:
  1. A Sustainable and Liveable Australia
  2. Closing the Gap for Indigenous Australians.

Chair / [To be determined at the first meeting of the Council] (NB: the predecessor Ministerial Councils had differing chairing arrangements)
Membership / Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers with responsibility for police and emergency management matters, and the Australian Local Government Association.
Scope of Standing Council / The purpose of the Council is to promote a coordinated national response to law enforcement and emergency management issues. The Council looks to develop a shared framework for cooperation and a basis for strategic directions for the policing and emergency services of Australia and New Zealand. The Council also strives to encourage and share best practice across jurisdictions in police policy and operations, and in emergency management.
The Council has particular responsibilities for:
  • law enforcement issues such as police powers, criminal offences and the sharing of intelligence;
  • advancement of the professionalism of policing;
  • national leadership on emergency management (all hazards) and disaster resilience, including national policies and priorities; and
  • consideration of an annual Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment presented by the Chair of the Australian Crime Commission Board.
The Council will work closely with the Standing Council on Law and Justice to ensure coordination of joint priorities, most notably in the areas of organised crime and cyber crime.
Priority Issues of National Significance[1] / The Council’s priority issues are:
  1. Progressing the National Response to Organised Crime, including illicit drugs;
  2. Progressing a national response to cyber crime;
  3. Improving cross-jurisdictional law enforcement cooperation and planning, including law enforcement systems;
  4. Coordinating national initiatives to address alcohol, public safety and serious crime, including alcohol-fuelled violence, road safety and child protection;
  5. Increasing the resilience of individuals and communities to the impacts of disasters by undertaking and supporting initiatives that are designed to encourage all sectors of the Australian community to take responsibility for mitigating the effects of disasters, including implementation of the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience; and
  6. Consideration of recommendations of national interest from significant commissions of inquiry into natural disasters, including inquiries into the recent floods in Queensland and Victoria and bushfires in Western Australia.
Note: Priorities 1 and 2 also appear as priorities for the Standing Council on Law and Justice. The project plans will specify the different roles of the two Councils.
Cross-Cutting Issues / In pursuing its priority issues of national significance, the Council will take into account the cross-cutting issues of Indigenous disadvantage, access to services, gender equality, and inclusion for persons with disability, as well as the specific needs of regional Australia.
Legislative and Governance Responsibilities / Responsibilities under the following instruments:
  • Australian Crime Commission Act 2002.
Responsibilities for the following bodies:
  • Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency;
  • Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM);
  • CrimTrac; and
  • National Crime Statistics Unit.
The Council commits that by July 2016, specific references to the former Ministerial Council in the above governing instruments will be changed to refer instead to the ‘Ministers responsible for […...]’.
Note that the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Australian Crime Commission will continue to meet to discharge its legislative and governance obligations under the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002, until such time as specific references to this former Ministerial Council are changed.
National Agreements, National Partnerships and Inter-governmental Agreements / Responsibilities under the Natural Disaster Resilience National Partnership Agreement.
Operations / COAG considers that, as a general rule, Councils would not require more than two face to face meetings a year.
Meetings of Councils and officials will utilise the TelePresence network as much as possible to meet and to transact business, to minimise environmental impacts and meeting and travel costs.
Other operational arrangements are to be made by the Ministerial Council and do not require COAG endorsement.
Decision-Making / Councils will make decisions on the basis of consensus wherever possible, unless specific voting rules are included in relevant governing instrument(s).
Where necessary, the principle of one vote per jurisdiction would apply.
Reporting / The Council will provide COAG with an annual status report, due 31 July, on:
  • the progress/completion of its priority issues against agreed milestones;
  • the contribution made towards meeting the Closing the Gap targets;
  • any additional priorities that it believes should be addressed and submitted for COAG consideration;
  • key outputs or achievements from other inter-jurisdictional activities; and
  • decisions taken as a result of its legislative or governance responsibilities and changes made to legislation or agreements.
The Council will also provide a draft work plan for the following financial year annually by 31 May.

Inaugural Membership

Chairing of this Standing Council is to be determined.

Jurisdiction / Minister/s / Role
Commonwealth / The Hon Robert McClelland, Attorney-General / Member
The Hon Brendan O’Connor, Minster for Home Affairs / Member
New South Wales / The Hon Michael Gallacher, Minister for Police and Emergency Services / Member
Victoria / The Hon Peter Ryan, Minister for Police and Emergency Services / Member
Queensland / The Hon Neil Roberts, Minister for Police, Corrective and Emergency Services / Member
Western Australia / The Hon Rob Johnson, Minister for Police and Emergency Services / Member
South Australia / The Hon Kevin Foley, Minister for Police; Minister for Emergency Services / Member
Tasmania / Mr David O’Byrne, Minister for Police and Emergency Management / Member
Australian Capital Territory / Mr Simon Corbell, Attorney General; Minister for Police and Emergency Services / Member
Northern Territory / The Hon Paul Henderson, Chief Minister; Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services / Member
Australian Local Government Association / Mayor Bob Abbott, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Queensland / Member
New Zealand / The Hon Judith Collins, Minister of Police
OR
The Hon Craig Foss, Minister for Civil Defence / Member

* Where more than one member has been nominated, there will be one vote per jurisdiction

[1] Priority issues of national significance are reform-focused and warrant oversight by Ministers and by COAG. They will change over time and do not necessarily encompass all aspects of the work of the Council.